ESSEX COUNTY CELEBRATES THE NUTLEY ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

This photo shows the excitement of marching in the parade - as the Nutley Cub Scout Pack 141 wows the crowds. Photo from 2016. Courtesy of Linda Buset.

Posted
2/8/18

In anticipation and support for the 2018 Nutley St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders join them as they gear up to celebrate another year of Irish heritage and tradition in Essex County.

The 40th Annual Nutley St. Patrick’s Day Parade, is scheduled to take place on March 3, 2018, and will begin with the Nutley Irish American Association’s (NIAA) 40th Annual Grand Marshal Dinner at Nanina’s In the Park in Belleville on February 16th. The festivities will continue on March 3rd with an Investiture Mass at St. Mary’s Church at 10:00 A.M., followed by the parade procession on Franklin Avenue at 1:00 P.M.

The Association announced this year’s parade court will include five distinguished community members: Grand Marshal Patrick Colligan, Deputy Grand Marshal Tammi Tribble, “Member of the Year” Ellen Bennett, Parade Queen Tara Connor, and “Police Officer of the Year” Joe O’Halloran.

Grand Marshal Patrick Colligan is President of the New Jersey State P.B.A. His Irish roots date back to the Civil War. In 1992, he began his career in law enforcement with the Franklin Township Police Department and became a Delegate to the State P.B.A. and in 2005, was appointed to the Executive Board. Colligan resides in central New Jersey with his wife, Lynette, and their three children, Kayleigh, Connor, and Brenna.

Grand Marshal Tammi Tribble is one of five children born of Kevin and Diane Cassidy. She is the owner of Photo Arts Productions in Nutley and serves as the Association’s Event Chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraiser. She created the Walking in Faith Fashion Show, a fundraiser that commemorates the memory of her late husband Wayne. Tribble is also the proud mother of her daughter Ashley.

“Member of the Year” Ellen Bennett was born and raised in Belleville and is the eldest of her three sisters. She is an active member of the NIAA and has helped at several of the Association’s events, including serving as the Captain of NIAA Relay for Life team. Bennett resides in Cedar Grove and works as a Media Supervisor at an advertising agency in Pearl River, New York.

Parade Queen Tara Connor of Nutley is a middle school teacher at the Academy of Saint Joseph of the Palisades in West New York and a photographer. Connor is very excited to join the procession and overjoyed to receive the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her mother, aunt, and uncle as parade dignitaries.

“Police Officer of the Year” Joe O’Halloran worked for the Nutley Police Department and served in the Patrol Division as a Traffic Safety Officer until 2014 when he became the first motorcycle officer for the township in over 20 years. Since 2000, he has served as Vice President of Nutley P.B.A. #33 and is an Assistant Scout Master of Nutley Boy Scout Troop 147. He is the proud father of Samantha, Kelly, Joseph, and Aidan and has lived in Nutley for 50 years.

The Board’s 2018 “Salute to the Irish” Celebration will take place on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, at the Hall of Records in Newark, a collaborative effort of the Freeholder Board led by Freeholder President Brendan W. Gill of Montclair, Freeholder Leonard M. Luciano of West Caldwell, Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, and Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin

Much like previous celebrations, the Board’s “Salute to the Irish” will also commemorate the legacies of the county’s two other monumental parades, the 67th Annual West Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is scheduled to take place on March 11th, and the 82nd Annual Newark St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is scheduled to take place on March 16th. The Board looks forward to honoring all three parades on March 7th.